No media brand has been a part of my content loving life like HBO. I started watching it as a kid. Back then it was only on from 6 am to 12 am. I remember watching cool movies like OVER THE EDGE. Or kids programming like WATERSHIP DOWN and EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS. This was THE place for movies. But they also had major sport and music events. Comedy too. Like many media businesses before it, it started out curating content and eventually moved to their own original programming. You may have heard of some of their stuff. THE SOPRANOS. SEX IN THE CITY. OZ. GAME OF THRONES. THE WIRE. BOARDWALK EMPIRE. ENTOURAGE. THE LEFTOVERS. BIG LITTLE LIES. BAND OF BROTHERS. TRUE BLOOD. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. DEADWOOD. ROME. GIRLS. SILICON VALLEY. VEEP. SUCCESSION. WESTWORLD. Just to name a few. Their archive may be the greatest in television history. The documentaries rock too. Their brand stands for excellence. "It's not TV. It's HBO." With the emergence and dominance of NETFLIX, pundits and analysts pit the two against each other. It's a fight a boxing promoter would love. Some of this was spurred on by a lazy press re-sharing a quote from a few years ago in GQ when Netflix's TED SARANDOS said: "The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us." And recently many news outlets incorrectly assumed that's what HBO wants to do. Many assumed that's what their new owner AT&T wants to do. But we don't think so. HBO wants to become a better and bigger HBO. That's not Netflix. But they are under competition for audience, talent, and programming. As cord-cutting grows, the cable bundle will not be replaced. But we think HBO will still be one of the few major players. A few months ago, I sat down with MATT BALL to discuss HBO and what we would do if we were tasked with the new chapter of growth and success. In a two-part series, he explores this. HBO is one of the most successful media brands in history. But like all businesses, it will still need to change and grow if it wants to remain king. Over-the-top distribution means far more than just changing screens. "Why HBO Needs to Grow (The Future of HBO, Pt. I)." They need to be more of who they are with a few additions. They need more content. They need to be more global. And of course, grow subscribers and usage. And with that, there can be a bigger and stronger version of the HBO we love today. This means scaling and diversifying original output, curating the best of WARNERMEDIA, aggressively investing internationally, taking a look at price and improving its product. Here's how: "A Six-Point Plan for HBO (The Future of HBO, Pt. II)"... Shout-out to the mommy of my close pal and lawyer MIKE EISNER. She cooked us an insanely awesome Lebanese feast for Sunday dinner. One of the best meals I've had in recent memory. I loved it... On Friday night, KEVIN and MARINA KRIM took me to THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. My first time. We watched and listened to the LA PHILHARMONIC perform the score from STAR WARS live to the film. It was pretty awesome. Unique to LA and just one example of why it is a great city. Only bad part? They gave out lightsabers and ran out by the time we got there. And yet, I saw little kids with like 5 of them. I thought about grabbing one and running, but the escape routes were not optimal... Happy Birthday to MIKE JONES, NATHANIA STAMBOULI, STACI KRAMER, BERNARD YEE, BRIAN LEVIN, JOE ORTIZ, PETER MINIKES, and TOM KUHN. Belated to BETSY MORGAN, NUSRAT DURRANI, RANDALL POSTER, JESSICA YOUNG WEINTROB, CORY LLEWELLYN, CHRIS PETROVIC, DAVID MATHISON, AURORA HERNANDEZ, NICOLE HANLEY PICKETT, and ROBERT STRICKER.